For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

“Uhuhu… Carla… I had such a hard time…”

“There there. Our Master had it tough, didn’t you? It’s okay. It’s all over now.”

As I sobbed in Carla’s arms, she rhythmically patted me in response.

Pretending to wipe tears, I rubbed my face against Carla’s soft chest before lifting my head.

Iris and Elisha turned their gazes away, looking awkward.

“Listen, I’m really curious, but wasn’t the past few days just a complete rebellion?”

“Rebellion, Master? That’s harsh! I was just teaching with all my heart and sincerity!”

“Right, Yandel! Teacher and I only wanted the best for you! It’s like… bitter advice that’s good for you!”

Even as they spoke, they couldn’t meet my eyes.

Yes, they knew.

That it was a bit too much since Elisha joined halfway through the last three days.

I learned elemental combination from Iris, and the overall understanding and techniques of elemental magic from Elisha.

Because they taught me incessantly in the carriage and at the lodging, I hardly slept.

Well… it was necessary.

System corrections apply only to skills imprinted in the status window.

I didn’t have the ability to acquire skills by investing in skill points.

I need to learn them thoroughly, at least once, to use them naturally and receive the system’s corrections.

Though I missed the increased learning speed buff of the title ‘Talented Freshman,’ what could I do?

If not, I just had to work hard.

Especially since, as Iris said, I couldn’t take her to the academy, it was best to cover the basics before returning.

…But it was really tough.

I was busy enough not to do anything naughty with three slaves, who could be undressed at any time.

Feeling a surge of frustration, I glared at Elisha and declared.

“Iris’ share of work now falls on you.”

“What?! What are you planning to do to me this time?!”

“Hehe… I’ll just lay my head on those plump thighs and take a nap.”

“Uh? If it’s just that…”

“And then massage your numb legs from the weight of my head!”

“Why are you so obsessed with massaging numb legs?!”

“Because your screams are entertaining.”

“Ieek! Eeek…!”

While I chuckled at Elisha’s squeals, the slave wife cautiously spoke up.

“Umm… Master? Neither Miss Iris nor Miss Elisha meant any harm.”

Her demeanor had clearly relaxed compared to her previous trembling at my every move, probably reassured by how I treated others over the past few days.

But she still seemed worried, though.

Scratching the back of my head awkwardly, I nodded.

“Well, I’m not really angry. It was just a bit of sulking. Look at this.”

I raised my palm against the backdrop of the distant academy visible through the window.

“Tinder.”

A basic magic focusing on the phenomenon itself.

At most, a flame slightly larger than a matchstick flickered in mid-air.

Elemental magic was intuitive. It dealt with elements that make up nature… things commonly seen around.

Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning–none of them were unfamiliar.

Familiar and intuitive because they already exist and have been experienced.

That was why elemental magic was the most common.

Magic, after all, came from imagination.

It was easier to use when the image was clear and well-defined.

However, this was precisely why elemental magic was difficult to modify.

Fire must be hot and shapeless, flickering, and water must be cold and constantly flowing.

If we delved deeper, there were concepts like purification with fire or healing with water.

These were methods that used concepts artificially added to simple phenomena… but let’s skip that for now as it’s not the current focus.

Anyway, the familiarity that was an advantage of elemental magic became a prejudice, making elemental magic easy to cast but hard to apply.

Elemental combination, however, was not just about application.

It completely deconstructed each element’s components and forcibly joined them using elemental affinity.

Iris’s last demonstration of the explosion was a natural reaction when the forced connections were released.

The energy was simply released, so there was little mana consumption.

However, as Elisha said, it had its own level of difficulty and required intense concentration…

But not anymore.

It was tough, but the results were definite.

I focused on the flame burning in my hand. Then…

Whoosh.

The flame’s color changed.

The Tinder was no longer a crimson hue but burned in deep blue.

Furthermore, the flame’s heat seemed to disappear, leaving only a cold chill in my hand.

This was Elemental Combination, inserting the cold properties of water into the fiery nature of the flame.

Cold fire.

It looked cool, but I still wasn’t sure where to use it.

Nevertheless, now it’s simple to use with system correction.

Elisha, finding this fascinating, tilted her head in curiosity.

“It’s always amazing. At first, you might struggle, but once you succeed, even awkwardly, you immediately get the hang of it.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

“…Why are you puffing up, Carla?”

Watching Carla and Elisha bickering, I chuckled and released the Tinder outside the carriage.

Bang!

The explosion wasn’t as powerful as higher-level magic, but it was still quite intense.

Feeling the coldness reaching us, I settled deeper into the seat.

Then, I called out internally.

‘Status window.’

Ding!

Elemental Combination (A)

You have now gained the ability to disassemble and combine elements as you wish! However, while this is remarkable, it's not inherently powerful. How you combine which elements to create the desired phenomenon is all up to you. Try giving it some serious thought! You can arbitrarily combine the forms and properties of elements. The power is influenced by your proficiency in elemental magic.

Trait: If there is no affinity for elements, it becomes inactive.

A fixed A-rank trait. There was no need to feel disappointed that it wouldn’t grow further.

Traits of S-rank were like unimaginable ultimate traits, such as Dragon Heart.

An A-rank was, in fact, the best among traits you could normally acquire.

It was truly not just a vision.

As I smiled contentedly, Iris, with an even more contented expression than mine, patted my shoulder.

Was this a massage…?

Her fists were small, and her strength was weak, so it wasn’t particularly refreshing.

But I let it be, since it’s cute.

“Now you’re completely skilled. You’ve worked hard, Master.”

“Flattery now will change nothing. Be prepared to make up for what you couldn’t do this week in the next.”

“Flattery? It’s genuine. I can somewhat understand why Carla fell for the Master.”

“Is this a shy confession from you? Embarrassing… But you know we still have duties to fulfill, right?”

“Of course. I’ll keep that well in mind, so don’t worry.”

“Well, you’ll probably do fine. You didn’t win the position of Tower Master through a card game, after all.”

But a duel was an exception.

While I chuckled to myself over such nonsense.

Suddenly, looking out the window, the buildings that seemed far away were now up close.

“We’ve finally arrived.”

It’s been a while, Academy.

---

Upon arriving in Rahim City, the first thing I secured was a house.

Though the land prices were high, fitting for the vicinity of the Academy, when had I ever been short of gold?

It was a bit away from the center, but I bought a nice empty house right away.

On the outside, it might look like a villa where I locked up Iris and other elf slaves and come to enjoy on weekends….

But from now on, this will be my hideout.

I planned to fortify it with various magics and make a suspicious but formidable hood imbued with magic in advance.

After that, I told them they could pursue their desired research as promised.

“Please take good care of Elisha, Master.”

“Don’t worry. I did fine with Carla, so that it will be okay this time, too.”

“I heard Elisha became your shield last time….”

“Now it’s my turn to be the shield.”

As I shrugged nonchalantly, Elisha grumbled a bit childishly.

“I’m not a kid, and my mana core is safe. I can take care of myself, you know?”

“What are you talking about, my student? Now you’re a slave to the Master. You can’t just do as you please.”

“Ah.”

Elisha’s complexion turned a bit pale, as if realizing the implications of returning to the Academy not as a student, but as a slave.

Carla patted Elisha’s back.

“Don’t worry, Elisha! In such matters, I’m your senior, right? I’ll help you adapt well!”

“Carla….”

“Shall we start with practicing crawling on all fours in the dining hall?”

“…You’re really something!”

The two started squabbling again.

Carla’s teases were reasonable.

I was no longer just an ordinary, common student.

Since Elisha was no longer a student, I’d naturally become the representative of the 1st year Magic Department Class A.

There was also the feat of having defeated the Grand Archbishop of the God of Tainted Unity, Edmerek.

Who would dare treat me, or my slaves, carelessly?

So, what I needed to worry about was just Elisha’s pride, which might be hurt by her fallen status.

But with Carla, who was in a similarly fallen situation, stepping forward like this would ease her mind.

“Ahahaha! Wanna try barking? It’s kind of fun.”

“No! And stay there, Carla!”

…Though she might just be teasing.

Anyway, it would be fine.

At least the kind of trouble I worry about wouldn’t happen.

….

“Eek! Our eyes met! He must be thinking of making me a slave, too!”

“…….”

No.

I didn’t expect this.

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